Hudson News

If you’ve ever walked through the airport and seen the newstands I’m referring to, that headline makes sense to you. If not, just know that we’re officially official with Orlando Hudson. He passed a physical today here at Camelback Ranch – Glendale and will be on site to work out with the team in the morning. By all accounts, he’s a great player, teammate and should be a very welcome addition to the club.

Inside Dodgertown, the video on the front of the site, will have an exclusive first interview with him, so keep an eye out for it shortly when it posts.

Not much else to report today, though that’s certainly significant enough, I think.

UPDATE: Just got back from Ned talking to the beat writers still here on site and he said that the conversations with Scott Boras have become more frequent and longer regarding Manny. he said that while he couldn’t characterize it as progress or not progress, they are speaking more regularly, which we all hope will lead to getting something done.

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I was just reading Gurnick, to see what he has to say…Attention Dodgers it is a waste of space…His writing has none of his own ideas and is very bland…He is just repeating what we already know and have read..Kenny try to do an original piece…maybe a Q and A with Lambo or Lindblum….Something…you are boring…

Repost from the last thread:
Josh– thanks for the link to Inside Dodgertown. I can definitely see that Russell has changed his conditioning program over the winter. Less weight training and more core workouts. It should put himself in position for a banner year.
Prof. Enchanted– Thanks for the “A”. I’ll try to keep up the good work…..
We are deep in the infield and with a lot of versatility. Abreu seems to have put his physical issues of last year behind him. Loretta, Blake, and DeWitt can play multiple positions. The addition of the “O-Dog” (Vin is going to have so much fun with that) just adds to our strength. Watching those videos really helped me get fired up for 2009. As per Manram: what will be, will be. GO DODGER BLUE!!!!

ram– I have a brother and a brother-in-law in Michigan whose well-being is directly affected by the current problems in the auto industry, so, I’m well aware of what you’re going through. Hang in there!!!

ramslover ~ Hopefully things will turn around for you in the Spring when families are planning their vacations. Maybe they will feel like spending more if the finance companies will loosen up a little bit.

Hey Gang!! I like the fact that Ned hasn’t panicked again and set us back 2-4 years. However, I still cannot forgive his crippling signings of Phew and Schidt. I would give Manny 2 years for 56M and make him the highest paid player ever (appease his ego) and go from there. I think with our pitching staff as currently assembled, we will need a lot of offense. NL West is still weak and up for grabs. Letting Garland get away at the amount he signed for was poor judgement.
Go Blue!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Long time, no hear, jhall!!! How’ve you been? You missed all the moniker changes and the Manny anguish. I still think it’ll take 3 years to get Manny because, as you say, our pitching will need the offense.

Reference my earlier comment. Would any of you give Manny 2 years at 28M per, total 56M? I think he would be thrilled and play his a** off. Franky would recoup some of the money with increased attendance and merchandise sales. Just a thought.

I honestly don’t see Billz, Wolf, Kuroda, Kersh and Schmidt/Huggy Bear as that bad of a rotation. On any given day, Billz and Kuroda can pitch like an ace, and Kersh is bound to progress. Wolf will be about a .500 pitcher, and any wins and innings you get out of #5 is a bonus anyway.

Make Manny the highest paid player ever and he will take the 2 year deal. I don’t want him past that. LOL!!!! Let’s face it, without steroids, players past 40 don’t improve.
Beav’s contention that Andruw the Cow was a steroid boy is right on.

ram– assuming everyone stays healthy, those pitching numbers are all doable. We’ve also got McDonald or Stultz if anyone goes down. And, who knows, we might catch lightning in a bottle with one of the usual suspects.

I know I am probably drinking the kool aid, but I think will another year under their belt…Bills, Kuroda, and Kershaw will be much better and Wolf is going to be stronger in his 3rd yr after shoulder surgery….I also believe Elbert or Mcdonald, one of them will step up this year around the 1st of June..

Good points Ram and I agree. I think we are going to need a great offense to enable them however. I don’t see great growth and progression pitching from behind or in very close games. Young pitchers need some breathing room.
Just a thought!!!!

Phew is worthless!!! It is obvious. There is no interest from any other club in baseball at any price. It will go down as one of the worst contracts/deals in major league history. Sorry Amy, Mon Amie!!!!

It would have to be a team that needed his particular abilities regardless of the price. I agree that price isn’t the only factor. Sometimes, restructuring a deal can help. Hey, I’m looking for any angle to get this guy outta here!!!

Totally on it Sky!! Ned, find a way. Better for us and better for Phew!! I do not wish him any ill will, he just does not fit on our team. I would like to see him doing well. I just don’t see him prospering and thriving on our team.

There has got to be a team out there wo has not seen JP play……..therefore thinks he has speed and will get them some stolen bases. I’m thinking a team in the American League who we haven’t played. Like you guys said if we got rid of Andruw, anything is possible.

enchanted, here’s another simple quiz: Name each mystery speaker (note–anyone failing this quiz has been in a catatonic sleep):

“I want to help us win a World Series,” Mystery Speaker #1 said. “However I can do that, I will be more than happy to. … (Hudson) is a great player. If somebody is going to get him, why not us? He is a good player who can help a team win, and that is what we are trying to do here.”

“For the betterment of the team last year, I kept my mouth shut and let them play,” Mystery Speaker #2 said. “That said, this year, I don’t want that role again.”

Pierre’s contract makes it a near impossibility… As for where, if the Dodgers do move him, it’s going to be somewhere he could play everyday. I’ll take a shot in the dark and say Kansas City, IF we sign Manny, sometime AFTER the trade deadline.

It’s not like having a player in time for the playoffs matters much to Kansas City and their mediocre recent history. Of course, with Colorado and Tampa Bay making October runs lately, I have some KC Masterpiece on hand in case I have to eat those words.

I still say if Pierre wants to play everyday as much as he says he does, maybe he should give management a hand in terms of flexibility on his contract. It couldn’t possibly hurt…. A week or so ago, Gary Miller, on ESPN’s Baseball Tonight Spring Training Special, made, as his bold prediction, that Manny would be unsigned as of Opening Day. It would appeal to Manny’s sense of the dramatic to play this out that long and sign, say, the night before Opening Day. That and the fact that he doesn’t like ST that much.

Seesky ~ I saw that too but, I think Manny wants to be the new Manny instead of Manny being Manny. So, I think to show his teammates that he is a team player he will sign by the end of this week and be with the team for ST. I know it’s wishful thinking but, I’ve learned from Dodger4life to be an optimist.

Of course I hope mightily that you guys are right about Manny being about to sign, but I just don’t see it unless Manny has decided not to listen to Boros…

Boros still has a gambler’s chance to cash in big for Manny:
if some other well-funded contender-team’s Big Bopper suffers a season-ending (or near season-ending) injury in spring training; then Boros may be able get a bidding war going…or at least get more than the Dodgers are willing to spend…

Manny hates spring training and apparently works out relentlessly without it. So it shouldn’t be hard for Boros to get Manny to wait through much of spring training…

How much could they really have to talk about? I don’t think it’s so much a question of money but the length of the deal. The D’s want 2 years; Manny seems to want 4. We hear they’re talking more but are they really saying anything?

I heard the other day they were working on perhaps a 3-year deal. Heck, I don’t know. I thought we were going to get CC and then Garland. So, we’ll just have to wait and see.
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elric ~ you have some very valid points. I’ve heard insiders talk about Boras waiting for an injury. But, I’m hoping Manny is better than that and would want to join his team, and that team is of course, the Dodgers.

Good evening ITD boys and girls!
Just got back from Ventura College where my husband and I saw our Pirates and Lady Pirates cream the competition (Cuesta College from Santa Maria)!!! Now the playoffs start next weekend!!!

Okay, getting back to the Dodgers. Oh, first of all – WELCOME TO THE DODGERS HUDSON!!! To say the least, I am most curious as to see what’s going to happen with Blake (DeWitt) and Casey (Blake) and the rest of the infielders we have and how it plays out in ST and during the season. I guess things could be worse than DeWitt going down to AAA in case our infielders break down (Raffy, watch it.) But if Hudson’s signing portends a trade, we’ll see. I really don’t know and I really don’t want to guess.

About Manny, I would love it if he signed with us, but honestly, at this point, I’m so done with him. It’d be great to have him in our lineup, but I think we’ll be fine without him. We DEFINITELY won’t have the same kind of offense without him than with him, but I think we’ll be fine. Yes, the SP still has me worried. We have a bunch of good pitchers, but no great pitchers – we don’t have anyone that I’d call a legitimate #1 SP. We’ll just see what happens.

As much as I don’t want JP on our team (let alone starting in LF), I still have a difficult time seeing how we can trade him. His abilities (or lack thereof) make him unattractive to others. His massive contract makes him unattractive to others. I’d love it if they could trade him; I just don’t see it happening.

Jhall – Saw you on here earlier!!! Great to see your name again!!! I know it’s in the wee hours of Sunday morning and you’re probably not here, but again, it’s great to see you!!! Don’t be such a stranger!!!

At first, when we signed Hudson, I was worried that DeWitt might be traded for some PVL. But, with Furcal’s and the “O-Dog’s” physical histories, I’m inclined to think that DeWitt will stay, if for no other reason, to provide insurance against either of them breaking down.

Hey Nelly!!! Yeah, had fun. We love going to VC games. The only thing is that that is the ONLY team I will avidly follow where their colors are, drum roll please, orange and black!!! As long as it’s a VC garment or one of their sponsors, then I’m fine with it.

And seesky, I’m kinda thinking that DeWitt will stay (maybe as a PH in MLB, maybe AAA) given Raffy’s balky back and the O-Dog’s wrist problems. I personally think we’re going to have to watch Raffy’s back very closely. I don’t care how well he feels now, but the season is going to wear on his back and after a while, it may give out to the point of going back on the DL. I hope that doesn’t happen, but I’m thinking there’s a better than average chance of that happening.

…..I am thinking maybe it’s an insurance policy in case Furcal’s back flairs up again. I am thinking the same thing CP. Right now, it’s not a bad idea to have more than enough infielders. That is how we got stuck with Beroa and Azuna last season.

Yeah, I was wondering, “Why are we acquiring all these infielders?” I mean, I love it that we have the O-Dog, but there are a lot of infielders. But given the injury problems we’ve endured over the years, having too many infielders isn’t that bad a thing. And in actuality, if DeWitt stays in the MLB as a PH, I think he’ll see his fair share of starting time. I mean, Torre has already said this spring that he’s planning in giving Raffy a day off, like, once a week or so. If DeWitt is a PH and spot starter for 2009, I think we ALREADY have a MUCH BETTER bench than we did in all of last year! I would have been a lot more upset if Hudson’s contract was longer in length, thus stopping DeWitt’s rightful place as eventual starter.

Nelly – When you said before, “The unknowndodgerfan as yet to reveal himself/herself, but I thought you figured that one out.” Did you mean do I know who unknowndodgerfan is? Of course I do. But I don’t want to be the one to reveal his/her identity unless he/she does first!

And about JP. I never thought of it in that way. JP is an upgrade from Sweeney. At least he puts the ball in play instead of strikes out. Now, he may not get many hits, but he doesn’t strike out much.

I agree that our bench is far better than last year. Another plus is that Abreu seems to have gotten past his physical issues of the past couple of years. It’s going to be fun seeing all of this play out in ST games. Now, if we can only sign YOU-KNOW-WHO!!!!……

What’s nice about having a strong bench is that (1) we can afford to give our regulars days off (Raffy/Russ, you hearing this?) and (2) everyone shouldn’t be overused during the season and thus will be stronger come postseason!!! Heck, ST games haven’t even started yet and I’m already talking about the postseason!!! Isn’t this exciting!!!

That I do not know for sure 😦 ……possibly computer issues again I am thinking and hoping.

Speaking of………….jhall……I am sorry my visit with you was so short tonight…..I was going back and forth playing taxi mom and then I went out to dinner with my husband because we had no kids to worry about. I am so glad you spent time on here with us. We miss you and your style when you are not around.

Also…..I saw that looney4loney(mlk) paid us a visit today as well. It sure was good to see that name as well, and we look forward to your return once you have taken the bar exam……….best of luck!!!!

Nelly – What don’t you know for sure??? What about your computer issues again I am thinking and hoping?

And seesky, those two teams were just who I was thinking of where JP could go!!! Personally, I think we’d have an easier time sending JP to Kansas City than Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is a NL team that knows (or should know) what JP can and can’t do. But perhaps we can send him to Kansas City where they don’t know us very well!!! Perhaps Ned can do a great sell job on them and say, “Hey Juan Pierre has playoff experience!!!”

Oh, and Nelly. Forget my last question. Now I know “what you don’t know for sure.” It was a response about where’s Dodger4life? Sorry, it’s getting late and I can’t think too well right now. I’m doing more yawning than anything else.

Well, speaking of which, I guess I should be going. It’s great to talk to ya Nelly & Seesky!!! Good night!!!

MLB teams all have scouts and no player is much of a mystery or shouldn’t be, anyway. There will have to be some creativity regarding his contract or money going from us to another team in order to move Pierre. Unfortunately, Ned has Manny to deal with and that’s probably all he can handle right now.

Just to tweek A-Rod, make Manny the highest-paid player in baseball. Maybe Manny IS the greatest non-steroid ballplayer of his generation (then again, who’s to say what Manny puts on his Wheaties??????????)…still, give him two years, $56 million. He can puff out his chest, claim he’s numero uno, and the Dodgers can get on with their season.

Sorry, kids, but I’ve always liked Gurnick.
I’ve been away and was wondering if Nomar had retired, but it looks like, from one of the above posts, he’s still looking for a job?
Hudson should be a good addition providing DeWitt does not get squeezed off the team.
Maybe all the Faithful should start chanting MANNY! MANNY! MANNY! Can’t hurt.

Slow day here on ITD I see. We are in the middle of a caution flag during the race, and I thought I would check in, but I see there hasn’t been much action since this morning. 2 days and 18 hours until our first Spring Training game…….lots to look forward to.

Since Dodger4life seems to be MIA, I will take over until his return, which hopefully is very soon.
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WE LOVE OUR DODGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
365 DAYS A YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
7 DAYS A WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
24 HOURS A DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
EVERY DAY IN DODGER BLUE IS A GREAT DAY!!!!!!!!!
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Bring the Ring to LA in 2009!!!!!
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COME BACK MANNY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Since Dodger4life seems to be MIA, I will take over until his return, which hopefully is very soon.
.
WE LOVE OUR DODGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
365 DAYS A YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
7 DAYS A WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
24 HOURS A DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
EVERY DAY IN DODGER BLUE IS A GREAT DAY!!!!!!!!!
.
Bring the Ring to LA in 2009!!!!!
.
COME BACK MANNY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You are most welcome!!! I really wish dodger4life would come back to life. We really need him on slow days. There is no real Dodger news. The photos look great, and the videos are good, but we either need Manny news or games to start,and my guess is that games are going to start before we hear Manny news.

Maybe a 3rd time is a charm……for some Dodger news 🙂
.
WE LOVE OUR DODGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
365 DAYS A YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
7 DAYS A WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
24 HOURS A DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
EVERY DAY IN DODGER BLUE IS A GREAT DAY!!!!!!!!!
.
Bring the Ring to LA in 2009!!!!!
.
COME BACK MANNY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Signing Hudson is only validated by signing Manny. The Dodgers have a one year window of opportunity to win with Hudson and Wolf and validate the loss of the high draft pick. If the Dodgers don’t plan on going all in on this season, they should have saved the money on Wolf and Hudson and used the season to develop guys like Kershaw, DeWitt and McDonald. Heck, they could throw prospects at every position, sign only Blake and Furcal and tell us they’re trying to compete like they did from 1997-2003. It’s ok, because we’ll keep coming back, right?

I know some of you are huge nascar fan but boy Kenseth is on fire with 2 wins so far after not having one win last year. I haven’t played fantasy nascar in a 4 years and I’m already rusty so far. That first week kill me and I still can’t believe I didn’t start Edward, Stewart and Sorenson. I could had an extra 80+ pts there.

Ward Dear/dodgereric – so I guess you won the battle on who can stay up later last night. I figured you were NASCARed out and went to bed early, but I guess it was me who was NASCARed out and went to bed early. However, going to bed early only results in me getting up at 4:30 am – LOL!!!! I just checked. I ended up splitting wins……Denny’s team (DynastyDeb#1)won by quite a bit, and Kyle’s team (DynastyDeb #2) lost by 10. He was up against Jeff Gordon, which we know how he did.

Good Morning trublu!!! Glad to see you up bright and early only to have another rainy day, and it looks like it may be another rainy day schedule at school as well – yuck!!!!

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